The Stream

Is Iran going offline?

Iranians struggle with Internet disruptions ahead of the June 14 elections.


An Iranian girl surfs the web in an internet cafe in Tehran, Iran, 28 April 2013.

On Thursday, May 23 at 19:30 GMT:

Is Iran going offline ahead of its upcoming election? Iranian web users are reporting slow Internet speeds, difficulties accessing email, and faulty Virtual Private Networks. The government confirmed slow speeds but denied it has to do with the June 14 election. Critics, however, say the Internet crackdown is all about preventing the recurrence of the 2009 protests. So, how will Internet disturbances and social media surveillance impact Iran’s election?

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to:

Gissou Nia @GissouNia
Executive Director, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

Arash Abadpour @Kamangir
Blogger, Social Media Researcher
 
Mehdi Yahyanejad @balatarin
Founder, Balatarin.com 
 
Sussan Tahmassebi @sussantweets
Iranian Women’s rights activist
 
Ali Bangi @alibangi
Director, ASL 19

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